The one positive aspect the United States can take from a thoroughly miserable
last place at the 1998 World Cup is that they couldn't possibly perform
any worse at this summer's tournament.

Instead of building on their performance at the 1994 World Cup on home
soil where they lost 1-0 to Brazil in the second round, the U.S. team
looked to have taken a backward step in 1998 with three consecutive defeats
by Germany, Iran and Yugoslavia.

When the dust had settled on that disaster, the U.S. replaced coach Steve
Sampson with Bruce Arena in a program aimed at injecting some much needed
youth into an aging squad.

Arena led America to third place in Concacaf sectional qualifying but
the journey was far from comfortable.

After putting together a run of four wins and one draw from their first
five matches, America slumped badly, losing three in a row to Mexico,
Honduras and Costa Rica.

A 2-1 home win over Jamaica stopped the rot but the U.S. only confirmed
their place at this year's World Cup in the final round of fixtures, drawing
0-0 with Trinidad & Tobago while Honduras, who pushed them all the
way, went down 3-0 to Mexico.

While the U.S. defense has always been relatively solid, if somewhat
pedestrian, creativity in forward areas is sorely lacking. Arena is well
aware of the technical limitations of his charges and has adopted a formation
and system to play to the squad's strengths, but there is little doubt
the U.S. would give anything to unearth a player capable of providing
a spark for the team such as a Roy Wegerle or an Eric Wynalda.

Heavy on industry but light on invention, the U.S. midfield is led by
Claudio Reyna, one of few American players to meet with success in Europe.

Despite pushing five men into the midfield for some fixtures, America
still finds it difficult to gain effective service from wide areas. While
Cobi Jones maintains that livewire look about him, the 31 year old now
struggles at international level due to the erosion of his once exhilarating
acceleration.

But it is not all doom and gloom for the U.S. as they prepare to face
Portugal, Poland and South Korea in Group D of the 2002 World Cup finals.

Young forward Josh Wolff has come through the ranks of America's youth
system and while he is far from the finished article, Wolff has shown
enough potential to suggest he will be part of the American setup for
a while to come.

Star Players

Versatile midfielder Claudio Reyna is the major driving force for the
American team and his aggressive, strong-running style has earned rave
reviews at club level in the U.K.

Joining Glasgow Rangers in the Scottish Premier League from German club
Wolfsburg, Reyna is a tough tackling and intelligent runner, who's all-action
style is a definite crowd pleaser.

Functioning best in his favored position at center midfield, Reyna has
drawn comparisons with France's "water carrier," Didier Deschamps,
but his adaptability has seen him perform effectively on the right side
of midfield and even at right back.

Lured to the English Premiership by Peter Reid's Sunderland, Reyna has
yet to make a similar impression as he did in Scotland but will undoubtedly
do so if he can stay clear of the troublesome hamstring injury that has
seen him sit on the sidelines for extended periods.

Taking on more of the creative responsibilities with the U.S. national
team has not been a problem for "Captain America," though with
so much of the play revolving around him, Reyna will have to take his
aggressive stance down a defcon level or two if he is to make an impression
at the World Cup finals.

While he is far from being a dirty player, Reyna's blood does tend to
boil over on occasion as was exemplified by a two-match suspension incurred
for throwing his captain's armband at the referee after a controversial
loss to Costa Rica last September.